


Maybe Working Alone Wasn’t the Best Idea

by sassyruu



Category: South Park
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Character Death, Gen, Long Live Feedback Comment Project, Lots of minors characters too, M/M, Mild Gore, Rating May Change, and Professor Chaos has powers, in which Mysterion has more powers, tags added as necessary
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-21
Updated: 2018-05-08
Packaged: 2019-03-07 11:12:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13433523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sassyruu/pseuds/sassyruu
Summary: South Park has always seen its share of weird things. But when residents start to go missing and are later found dead, Mysterion finds himself looking for the answers, only to come up empty handed. He enlists the help of Professor Chaos, the only other person in the town that still believed in the “hero” persona.But the deeper down the rabbit whole they go, they find themselves falling into something far bigger than they had anticipated, that will test their newfound bond.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> ALRIGHT SO! I’m going to apologize before this begins for 2 things:  
> 1\. To my “Dead End, Man, Game Over!” Readers: I’m so sorry for delaying chapter 9, this idea wouldn’t leave me alone so I had to start it. I am now in multi-fic hell and I hate it.  
> 2\. This starts out SO. God. Damn. Slow. I am so sorry for that. I’m very sorry for that, I promise it will pick up, I have SO MANY PLANS for this, like, down to the resolution. There are all kinds of twists planned for this, it WILL get better. So I’m sorry for such a slow start. Trust me, it took me WAY longer than I would have liked to finish this chapter. It was physically painful to get through because of what I know I have planned.  
> In any case, some quick notes. The boys are about 19. Basically 18-20, somewhere around there. As y’all see, this fic does feature Mysterion and Professor Chaos. While I am keeping with the majority of canon(aka, the other guys were just playing pretend all those years ago), Professor Chaos DOES have abilities, and Mysterion’s have advanced! This will be elaborated on at a later date. I’d also like to thank my lovely friend for the Title. I was so stumped.
> 
> ANYWAY here we go, hang in there.

It was late. She knew she shouldn’t be out like this, but it wasn’t as if she had planned to be gone long. Just a quick run to Tweek Bros and back, no big deal. Besides, it wasn’t as if she was one of _those_ people; she wasn’t a black spot on South Park, there was no way that anything would happen to her. Not like the lowlifes that had recently gone missing. She had nothing to fear.  
   
And yet, she felt uneasy. She had never felt unsafe walking around at night, not in this tiny mountain town. Sure, it had a history of strange things happening, but nothing ever like this. While all the people that had been going missing were considered undesirables, many people in town felt the same way she did—anxious, uncertain. Trembling hands clutched at her to-go cup of coffee, eyes darting to and fro. Even if she was innocent in comparison, the fear was still palpable.  
   
Movement out of the corner of her eye made her heart skip a beat. She turned quickly. _Nothing_. She spun again at the sound of something rustling. _Nothing_. Her breath caught, hands tightening around her coffee. “H-….hello? I-is someone there?” Silence. She shuddered, licking her lips as she tried to force herself to walk, her legs moving faster. Her heart hammered in her ears, the panic starting to bubble in her chest. As her steps quickened, the sound of movement filled her ears, the shadows almost seeming to close in around the edges of her vision.  
   
_Run_! Her coffee cup clattered to the sidewalk, the hot liquid painting the concrete as she pushed off into a run. All she could hear was the frantic pounding of her heart, fear swallowing her as the darkness danced in the corners of her eyes, teasing her. “Somebody!” She screamed. “Please! Somebody help me!” Why was no one coming outside? Why were her cries falling on deaf ears?! Could no one hear her, _see_ her?! She knew she was running passed open shops so why did no one notice her?!  
   
The darkness crept further into her vision, slowly engulfing it in tendrils. She could feel it entangling her legs, her arms, covering her mouth and silencing her terrified screams. A cocky, toothy smile entered her field of vision, before the world went black.

* * *

A faint shiver ran through Kenny McCormick’s body as he slowly woke. At some time in the night, he had completely tangled his bedsheets around his legs, keeping his bare torso exposed to the chilly air. A common occurrence in the McCormick household; they rarely had the money to pay for the heat, and Kenny had long since given up his warmer bedding for his little sister’s sake. He forced his eyes open, grumbling something about the sunlight as it pierced his eyes through the holes in his thin curtains. He glanced at his phone; it was the one luxury he gave himself. He had bought it out of a pawn shop with the money he had earned, along with one for his little sister, and he paid for their service. He rubbed his eyes as he read the time. 9am. So it wasn’t too late, but not early either. He groaned loudly, rubbing his face a few times before he fought to untangle himself from the sheets.  
   
Eventually, Kenny made his way into the living room, gently ruffling the mop of brown hair on the couch as he passed. He faintly listened to the TV as he headed to the kitchen, in search of something to eat; he really doubted the waffles he had bought for himself and Karen were still available. Kevin had a tendency to eat what wasn’t his. “Karen, have you had breakfast?” He swore under his breath, slamming the empty freezer shut, only to find Karen standing there with a plate of waffles and a bright smile.  
   
“Yup,” she replied, handing him the plate. “And I managed to save these from Kevin before he left this morning.”  
   
Kenny blinked a few times, before he smiled softly at his younger sister. Despite everything they had gone through over the years, she had still remained ever positive. She was the light of Kenny’s life. He took the plate with a chuckle. “Thanks, Kare-bear,” he said, kissing her head. “Did you get enough to eat?”  
   
“Mm-hmn,” she replied, nodding as she took his hand and led him over to the couch. The TV was blaring the news of the day.  
   
Kenny didn’t usually watch the news; nothing interesting ever happened in South Park. But recently, there had been a string of strange disappearances. Of course, none of the people who had disappeared so far were anyone of note, mostly people from the red light district. Kenny had been slightly interested when his old teacher, Mr. Garrison, went missing, but it wasn’t like anyone actually liked the guy. So, as a result, the news reports on the situation had been lackluster and casual. So when the newscaster got strangely serious, Kenny’s interest was piqued.  
   
“ _Another citizen of South Park has gone missing,_ ” the newscaster was saying. Kenny’s eyes locked on the picture of the missing woman. She couldn’t have been much older than himself, and by the looks of things, she was just a normal townie. She was so normal, in fact, Kenny couldn’t say he really recognized her, so she was no one of note to him. He bit into one of his waffles, sitting down slowly and leaning forward. “ _This marks the sixth disappearance in the last month._ ”  
   
Karen shifted next to Kenny, her brows furrowed and lips pressed into a thin line. “…Ya know…South Park has kinda turned into a scary place…” She lowered her gaze to her lap, picking at a tear in the couch cushion. “I mean, that’s a lot of people…”  
   
Kenny broke his gaze from the TV to Karen, watching her. He shoved the last of his waffle into his mouth, before tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. Karen glanced up at him. “You’re going to be safe,” he told her. “It’s all been people who have been wandering on their own at night, and you don’t go out after sunset. You’ll be safe. Just…don’t go anywhere alone, okay?” He gave her a sad smile. “I couldn’t bare it if something happened to you.”  
   
Karen blinked slowly at him, before smiling and nodding. “I won’t, I promise.”  
   
“Atta girl,” he cooed, pulling Karen to him and kissing her head. “I’m gonna meet up with the guys. And I have work tonight. You have any plans?” He grabbed both their plates and headed for the kitchen.  
   
“Uh, well…” she got up and shuffled to tie her hair up. “I was going to go to the mall with Tricia..”  
   
“Tricia? Tricia _Tucker_? You two hang out?”  
   
“Sometimes. She’s kinda cool, she invites me to hang out…anyway, I’m thinking of just asking Tricia to come over here…You think that would be okay?”  
   
Kenny made an uncertain noise. “Probably wouldn’t be wise in case dad comes home drunk…and if he and Kevin get into a fight, I don’t want Tricia’s brother getting pissed at me. See if Craig can come get you or something; I’ll give you gas money.”  
   
“Okay!”  
   
Once everything was set up, Kenny headed out. He and the guys usually alternated between Stan’s and Eric’s place, just like when they were kids. While Stan probably could have gotten a small apartment with Kyle by now, his boyfriend had managed to convince him to wait and save up. Today, it was the Marsh residence. Kenny was the last to arrive, waltzing in like he owned the place. Stan and Kyle were sitting on the floor; Stan had a game controller in his hands, while Kyle’s head laid in his lap as he read something for one of his college courses. Eric was, as expected, stuffing his face on the couch, grunting as he tried to use his own controller to beat Stan at Overwatch. He was failing miserably. “What’s up, sluts?” Kenny asked, hopping over the arm of the couch and nearly knocking the bowl of chips to the floor; Stan caught the bowl with practiced ease. “Who is maining who today?”  
   
“Stan is maining D.Va, Cartman is maining McCree and getting his ass kicked,” Kyle answered, not breaking eye contact with his book. D. Va’s “nerf this!” Came over the speakers just as Eric swore loudly. “That’s round 4. You owe us pizza, Cartman. And no changing the score ratio, dude. You’ve changed it twice.”  
   
“God _dammit_!” Eric screamed, throwing the controller on the floor. “Fucking cheater!”  
   
“It’s not cheating, you just suck.” Stan sighed, gathering the discarded controller and looking it over. “I swear to God, Cartman, if you break one of my controllers, you are buying me a new one.”  
   
“I didn’t break it,” Eric barked, shoving another handful of chips in his mouth. “Besides, it’s not like they’re that expensive—“  
   
“Bullshit, dude! A good controller is almost $50!”  
   
“Wait, seriously?”  
   
Kyle groaned, rolling into a sit as Stan turned around to go off on Eric. Kenny was quick to follow as he left the room, not wanting to get caught up in the fiasco that was about to ensue. “You think that fat fuck would learn by now that things cost _money_ , and not everyone has a mommy that will buy him everything he wants,” the red head grumbled as they stepped into the Marsh’s kitchen.  
   
Kenny glanced back as the other two argued about the controller, humming as he hopped up onto the kitchen counter. He effortlessly caught the coke can Kyle tossed him. “Cartman will always be a stupid spoiled whore.” The two laughed, remembering that stupid store from their childhood. Kenny’s eyes flicked over the cover of Kyle’s book quickly, cracking open his can and taking a long drink. “So…you been keeping up on current events, smart one?”  
   
“Hmm?” Kyle kept his can to his lips for a moment, watching Kenny with a slight bit of scrutiny. “Depends,” he replied slowly, setting his can down and leaning on the counter. Kenny couldn’t help but notice the hesitance in Kyle’s voice. “You’re talking about the disappearances, right?”  
   
“Bingo,” Kenny chimed, snapping his fingers. Kyle visibly deflated, making the blond cock his head curiously. “What, sick of it already? It’s the only remotely ‘interesting’ thing that’s happened in South Park as of late.”  
   
“It’s nothing to really talk about,” he replied, tossing his book on the surface as well. “Everyone has been deadbeats no one cares about.” He paused. “I mean, Mr. Garrison was kind of a shock, but like…he’s a grade A douche so...”  
   
“Yeah I don’t think anyone will miss him.” The blond picked at his nails, a nasty habit he had picked up now that his gloves were fingerless. “What do you make of it though? I mean, 6 people vanishing without a trace?”  
   
“They probably got smart and left this shithole of a town,” Stan replied, having finished his argument with Eric and joining the other two in the kitchen. “I know I would if I had somewhere else to go.” He mumbled a small “ow” when Kyle smacked his arm.  
   
“But they’re things are still at their homes,” Kenny pressed. “They just…disappeared. Doesn’t that raise any red flags?”  
   
Stan and Kyle stared at him, before answering in perfect, practiced unison. “No.”  
   
“…it’s still really freaky when you two do that.” The blond shuddered. Sure, Kyle and Stan had been Super Best Friends since they were kids, and had been dating the last four years, but it always set Kenny uneasy when the two spoke in unison like that. He shook his head. “In any case, it’s got Karen freaked out, and the police aren’t going to do anything—“  
   
“There’s nothing for them to get involved in,” Kyle tried to argue.  
   
“—So I’m going to take things into my own hands.”  
   
Stan crossed his arms over his chest, raising a brow. “Take things into your own hands? That vigilante stuff again?”  
   
“ _Dude_.” Kyle lowered his voice a tad. “You’re not seriously thinking about bringing Mysterion back, are you?”  
   
“Well…” Initially, Kenny hadn’t had much of a plan. But now that Kyle brought it up, maybe South Park needed Mysterion again. He hadn’t done it in quite a while, so he was going to need to update the costume and arsenal, but it didn’t sound like a bad idea. A smile slowly crept across his lips, and Kyle let out a strangled cry of disbelief. “…Maybe I will.”  
   
“ _Dude!_ ” The red head hissed, looking ready to shake some sense into the blond. “Assuming this _is_ something to worry about, that’s super dangerous! Let the police handle it—“  
   
“You just said it’s nothing for the police to get involved in,” Kenny countered quickly, hopping off the counter. Kyle let out a series of disjointed noises, trying to come up with some sort of argument. “Besides, even if the police did get involved, everyone knows they’re too incompetent for something like this.”  
   
“Kenny,” Stan began, frowning as he tried to soothe the now distressed Jew. “What could you possibly do? You’re just one person.”  
   
“…” Well, that confirmed one thing: He couldn’t ask for his friends’ help on this. Not that he would have expected their help with something so dangerous. Sure, they had once been his allies as Human Kite and Toolshed in their games, but they had never really been superheros. They were just regular guys, just how Kenny liked them. It would keep them safe. “True,” he finally replied, putting on a bright smile to set them at ease. “But I helped keep this town safe before, and I was much younger then. I got this, guys.”

* * *

The best part about Kenny’s job(one of three) was, it allowed him to wander around town. While South Park was a very small town, doing random food deliveries whenever they were needed was an easy job, and it gave him the freedom to still take care of personal business. So, between deliveries, he did a bit of shopping around town, going through a mental checklist as he collected supplies for his new and updated costume for Mysterion. He hadn’t done any of this vigilante work since elementary school, so there was no way his old costume would fit. Besides, he was long overdue for an upgrade. Once he had what he needed, he spent the time between deliveries sewing everything together; it was a skill he had developed as a kid, between repairing his sister’s clothes and making his costumes for their games.  
   
It was near two in the morning by the time he had gotten home. The house was silent, save for the drunk snoring he could hear from both his parents and his brother’s rooms. He went straight to his room, as silent as possible, the pieces to his new costume in his arms. He was quick to put it on and make sure everything was right.  
   
As a whole, the costume hadn’t changed. He kept his hood and cape, signature question mark dangling on his head(that was something he had swiped off his old costume. It was well loved and he wouldn’t dare make another). The body suit had gotten an upgrade, some dark purple and white added to his sides on the familiar lilac base, the trademark green M emblazoned across his chest. Once simple gloves now had a green accent on the front. He hummed, tapping the toe of his boots on the floor as he adjusted his new belt; the M sat in the middle of the buckle proudly, canvas bags sitting on his hips. All in all, it looked pretty damn good. “Damn, son,” he mumbled to himself, chuckling. “I am one sexy mother fucker.”  
   
His demeanor quickly changed, a scowl etched into his features as he faintly heard Karen crying. He secured the eye mask with practiced ease; all the muscle memory was slowly returning. He sighed as he pulled his hood back over his head; he wondered if she had ever figured it out, or if she even remembered. Well, at least now it wouldn’t be nearly as difficult to deepen his voice.  
   
Despite the fact his sister was literally across the hall, he had an image to keep, for her sake. He opened his window and, without a slight bit of hesitation, hopped out his window. It wasn’t far, since they only had a one story house, but he couldn’t help but think how high it seemed when he was a kid. He snorted a little, going around the house to Karen’s room.  
   
He peeked in her window, his heart clenching a tad. While Karen was much older than back when he did this before, it was still hard to see her like this, curled on the bed and crying into her knees. She had been trying so hard to control her emotions over the years, but Kenny knew she still cried. He took a breath, jimmying the door open with ease; their dilapidated house didn’t stand a chance. “Karen?” His voice was startlingly deep, he almost surprised himself. He hoped he didn’t scare her.  
   
For a moment, he thought Karen was going to scream; she gasped, hugging her legs tighter to her chest as she looked up at the seemingly strange man at her window. Her eyes flicked from his face, to the question mark on his head, down to the M on his chest. Slowly, her muscles relaxed as the realization came over her. “…Mysterion…?” She asked, just to be sure. He nodded to her, climbing into her window and sitting on the ledge. “…Where have you been…? You stopped coming to visit…”  
   
“You’re a big girl now,” he told her. “You didn’t need my protecting anymore.”  
   
She frowned, wiping her face a bit. “You still could have come to visit.”  
   
He had to fight back the laugh he felt bubbling in his chest; that would give him away, easily. Instead, he cleared his throat a bit. “I know, I’m sorry. I just thought that you didn’t need me anymore.” That was half true. Karen had grown to be much stronger than when she was a child, and while she still needed her brother at times, he hadn’t thought she needed her “guardian angel” anymore.  
   
Karen puffed out her cheeks, getting out of bed. She put her hand on her hip, the other hand wagging a finger at him as if scolding him. “You shouldn’t just disappear like that, ya know,” she reprimanded. “I was worried something had happened to you when you just stopped showing up.” There was a pause, before she just sighed, walking over to him. Her hands came to his face, cupping his cheeks. For a moment, he worried he had been found out, but let out a sigh of relief when Karen simply said, “You changed…you got older.”  
   
“Of course I did.” Mysterion paused, gently tucking Karen’s hair behind her ear. It was so difficult not to be overly affectionate with her. “But so did you. You’ve grown into a beautiful young lady, Karen.”  
   
She hummed, letting her hands drop from his face. “I guess…” She was quiet for a moment. “Mysterion…are you here now because of the disappearances?”  
   
The soft, fond smile that had been tugging at Mysterion’s lips quickly faded. His mouth pressed into a thin line for a moment, eyes glancing down at the floor. “Actually, yes. I’ve returned for that reason.” He grasped her hands firmly. “Do you remember what I told you all those years ago? That I would keep you safe?” She nodded slowly, her small hands squeezing his own. “I haven’t forgotten that promise, and I plan to keep it.” He brought her hands to his lips, kissing the backs of them. “I know things are scary right now. But you will be safe, I can promise you that.”  
   
Karen nodded a bit. “I know…” As if a second thought, she pulled her hands from Mysterion’s, before throwing her arms around his neck. He let out a strangled, surprised sound as he tried to keep himself from tumbling out the open window. “Thank you…” she whispered.  
   
He hesitated, body stiff in surprise, but slowly relented. He wrapped his arms around Karen, squeezing her just a bit as he rubbed her back. He was going to make South Park safe for her again, even if it meant being killed hundreds of times in the process.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is part of the LLF Comment Project, which was created to improve communication between readers and authors. This author invites and appreciates feedback, including:
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	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The investigation begins, and Kenny meets up with someone unexpected

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I got better feedback on the first chapter than I thought. This is…rather exciting. That gives me a lot of hope. I won’t keep you guys waiting!

“ _Breaking news today in South Park. The disemboweled bodies of two of the missing persons have been found on the banks of Starks Pond!_ ” To say it was a shock to the people of South Park was an understatement. Disembowelment? Murder? These things just didn’t happen here. “ _They have been identified as Mob boss Gino, and the stripper Classi, with a dick hanging off the I fucking the shit out of the a-s-s_.”  
  
Karen looked horrified as she watched the news, small terrified whimpers leaving her. Kenny pulled her to his chest, frowning as his little sister buried her face against him. Disappearances were one thing, but murder was another. The situation had suddenly become much more dangerous than he had anticipated. But there was something about it that bothered Kenny; it was too methodical. The way the newscaster described the scene sounded too much like someone who had done this kind of thing before—a serial killer, maybe? But what would a serial killer be doing in South Park? No, there had to be more to this. He kissed the top of Karen’s head. “Hey, I need to go out. You going to be okay here by yourself?”  
  
She looked up at him, brows upturned in distress. Still, she steeled herself and nodded, letting go of her brother. “Yeah…I’ll be okay…”  
  
He smiled, ruffling her hair and standing up. “That’s my girl. I won’t be gone long. Just gotta look into some stuff.” He grabbed his jacket from the back of the couch. “Don’t watch the news all day, it’ll just upset you.”  
  
Karen nodded, watching her brother walk around the couch. As he moved to the door, she spoke up. “Please be careful.” His hand paused on the door knob. “You don’t exactly have the best record, Ken…”  
  
Well, that was the truth. He wasn’t exactly the most innocent person in South Park, and probably would fit in with the crowd that had gone missing. But he turned to her and smiled softly. “Thanks for worrying, Karen. I’ll be safe, don’t worry.” With that, he headed out. His first stop? The local library.  
  
Kenny had never been one for doing a lot of reading. He was very bright, but most of the time it was just easier to pretend he wasn’t. While he had a high reading level, he never went out of his way to read things. As such, he had no clue where to start with his research. There had to be something, some kind of dark spot on South Park’s history, that would help explain. Maybe there was something nationally that was similar. He just needed something to grasp on to. As he was walking to where the librarian had pointed him for the newspaper archives, he found himself somewhat startled by someone. “Butters?”  
  
Sure enough, walking away from the reference section was the smaller blond, bright blue eyes blinking quickly when he heard his name. His brow furrowed for just a second, the action skewing the scar that ran down the left side of his face from the ninja star accident when they were kids. But it was only a second; Butters quickly gave Kenny a bright smile, brows settling back into their previously relaxed position. “Oh, hiya Kenny! I’m a little surprised to see ya here. Cause, ya know, ya never come to the library…” He hugged the book in his arms closer to his chest, covering the title carefully. “What brings you here?”  
  
Kenny raised a brow, glancing at the book in Butters’ arms and trying to read the cover. Butters shifted his arms, covering it further. He let out a small huff, before giving a smile of his own. “Well, I figure its about time I become cultured! Can’t be an uncultured swine forever!”  
  
Butters didn’t know what he had been expecting, but that certainly wasn’t it. He snorted, his nose scrunching a bit as he tried not to be too loud. “Aw shucks, Kenny, you’re not uncultured. Why, you’re plenty smart! You’ve shown that on a lot of occasions! I mean, ya tutored me in history sophomore year!”  
  
The taller blond hummed rubbing his neck a tad. “Well, I guess so.” His expression shifted to a more serious one, brows furrowed. His voice dropped, eyes boring into Butters’. “Actually, I was looking for some information.” There was an unspoken distrust between the two, having been enemies as their alter egos. Mysterion and Professor Chaos had always been at odds, and given the knowledge they both had, Kenny didn’t see that changing any time soon. “I just found it… _funny_ …to find you here the same time I am.”  
  
There was a pause, before Butters’ expression shifted as well, just short of a glare. His voice dropped just a tad, more to keep his voice down. “I’m here quite often, so it’s not unlikely that ya ran into me the one time ya decide to visit.” There was a hint of annoyance and frustration in the normally cheerful young man’s voice. “I don’t know what you’re insinuating, Kenny, but I don’t like it.”  
  
“You’re getting defensive,” Kenny almost growled. “You’re up to something. Or maybe you have the information I need.”  
  
“That would depend on what exactly you’re looking for. Because if it’s the source of the murders, I couldn’t help you there.” There was a pause. “And if that were the case, you’re going about it wrong.”  
  
Kenny clenched his jaw, grabbing hold of Butters’ sweater and yanking him forward. The smaller young man didn’t even flinch, eyes locked on Kenny’s in a battle of wills. “ _Tell me what you know._ ”  
  
“ _I know about as much as you._ ” The two stared each other down, neither of them willing to give in. After what felt like several minutes, Butters exhaled heavily through his nose, the tenseness in his shoulders going slack. One arm let go of his book, hand grabbing Kenny’s wrist; Kenny’s grip on Butters’ sweater slowly loosened. “Well,” he finally mumbled. “I don’t know if it helps much, but I did read about something like this happening about twenty years ago…”  
  
Kenny’s expression shifted, to confusion and then to disbelief. Something like this _had_ happened before? “Where did you read that?” Kenny asked. He then had a moment of realization. “…and why were you looking for that, anyway?”  
  
Once Kenny’s grip on him had loosened enough, Butters pulled away from him, harsh expression softening. “Well, I dunno,” he mumbled, turning his back to Kenny. “…maybe for the same reason you are.” That said, he motioned for Kenny to follow him.  
  
When they got to the archives, Kenny stood in silence as Butters easily moved from file box to file box, mumbling under his breath. In their normal day-to-day lives, Kenny actually quite enjoyed spending time with Butters. He was a sweet guy with a heart of gold, who he had grown very fond of over the years. Kenny felt bad about the ninja star accident when they were just kids, which had resulted in Butters becoming mostly blind in his left eye; Butters had told him once he could still see shadows in that eye, but that was it. But their alter egos…that was another story entirely. Even though Kenny knew, fundamentally, that Butters and Professor Chaos were the same person, he couldn’t wrap his mind around it. Professor Chaos was calculating, and when given the right tools, dangerous. From what Kenny could tell, Professor Chaos was still very much alive and well in the tiny blond.  
  
He jumped as Butters dropped a stack of laminated newspaper articles on the table beside Kenny. There was….a _lot_ more articles than he had anticipated. “This is everything,” Butters told him. “Everything I could find, anyway, and I’ve been here for a couple hours.” He stood straight. “You’re on your own from here.” He turned to leave.  
  
“Butters.”  
  
“Hmm?” He turned slightly.  
  
Kenny paused for a moment, before nodding to the book in Butters’ arms. “…what are you hiding?”  
  
He blinked, holding it up. “Oh, this? Its…just about electricity currents.” He flashed Kenny a smile, turning back around and leaving him there.  
  
The taller blond was quiet as he watched Butters leave the archives, before heaving a sigh. He rubbed the back of his neck as he stared at the pile of newspaper articles Butters had pulled out for him. It was a lot more than he had been expecting, and he honestly hadn’t expected Butters to be the one supplying him with it. “Well,” he mumbled, begrudgingly taking a seat and laying the articles out. “Might as well get started.”  
  
Over the course of an hour, Kenny learned more about South Park’s history than he had ever wanted to. Once he processed everything, he recorded a memo for himself on his phone, explaining everything he had read.  
  
“Twenty years ago, similar disappearances to what’s happening now occurred. It started out with lowlifes of the town disappearing, only to be found dead. Just like this time, they were found with their stomachs ripped open and their intestines strewn about. Eleven people went missing over the course of six months, ten were found dead, one survivor was found. But they were admitted into a mental institution from the trauma. Because of this, they were never able to give a description of the murderer, and the suspect was never found.” He paused. “So far, the difference seems to be time frame. In _one_ month, six people have gone missing. Two have now turned up dead, in the exact same manner as twenty years ago.” His brows furrowed as he leaned back in his chair. “Is it the same person? Twenty years is a long time, they would have aged if that was the case, and depending how old they were when it first happened, they could be a lot weaker, so that doesn’t make a lot of sense… A copycat, maybe? No doubt a lot of South Park would remember this…just not my generation. Because that was before we were born…Could someone have come across this and thought it was _cool_?” He sighed heavily, hitting his head on the table. “What am I missing…? What is the missing link between these two events…?!”

* * *

Kenny spent far longer than he meant to at the library, reading everything over and over to make sure he didn’t miss any details. It was after 8:00 when the librarian kicked him out for closing. His walk home was tense, shoulders hunched and head down. He let himself in, barely noticing the tv was on as he went to the kitchen. It wasn’t until he sat down in the kitchen with a piece of bread that he realized how quiet the house was. His brow furrowed as he got up slowly, finding a note on the fridge from his mom, something about a meeting and that Kevin was at his girlfriend’s for the foreseeable future because of a fight between him and their dad. But there was nothing about Karen.  
  
He crumpled up the note and tossed it aside, shoving the bread into his mouth as he went back to the living room. The TV was still on, but Karen was no where to be seen. “…Karen…?” His voice was quiet, fear dancing on the edges. Had she gone out and just forgotten to leave a note? No, she would have texted him, she was good about that. So where was she? “Karen?” He raised his voice this time, trying to keep his voice from trembling as he looked around for some sort of clue. He quickly went down the hall to the bathroom, to find it open and empty. “Karen? Karen, answer me please.” He moved quickly to her room, heart sinking when he found it empty. He pulled out his phone to call her, only to find it dead. “ _Shit_! God dammit.” He rushed to his room; he needed to get a charge, he needed to call her, if he couldn’t find her—  
  
His eyes widened a fraction as he stopped in the doorway, only to heave a huge sigh of relief. Curled up on his bed, pillow wrapped in her arms, was a sleeping Karen. She had always been a heavy sleeper, so he couldn’t say he was surprised that she didn’t answer. He walked over to the bed, taking a seat and pulling her into his arms. She made a small sound as she stirred, but he gently shushed her, kissing her head. “It’s alright…I’m right here….” He gave her a little squeeze, just glad she was okay. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was kinda short, and I even added the last scene last minute! In any case, if you’d like updates on the progress of this, you can always follow my tumblr, chxsing -stxrdust, under the tag mwawtbi. I post commentary, links to the chapters themselves, and if I by chance get art, I’ll be posting/sharing it there as well! 
> 
> This story is part of the LLF Comment Project, which was created to improve communication between readers and authors. This author invites and appreciates feedback, including:
> 
> Feedback
> 
>   * Short comments
>   * Long comments
>   * Questions (But I will not answer if it’s a spoiler)
>   * Constructive criticism
>   * “<3” as extra kudos
> 

> 
> LLF Comment Builder
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> This author replies to comments.
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> If you don’t want a reply, for any reason (sometimes I feel shy when I’m reading and not up to starting a conversation, for example), feel free to sign your comment with “whisper” and I will appreciate it but not respond!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooooof. Sorry for the major delay. School started, my keyboard malfunctioned, and it took me a while to update my other fic. I also had to plot out some more chapters before starting this one, so sorry. Things are starting to pic up though! ALSO! I made a playlist on YouTube for this fic. Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmsSf-sf2CckYvZkxLZfg0UoHGkClYrdS

The silence over the next few days was deafening, the entirety of South Park on edge and listening for any sort of news. No one else had gone missing, and for a moment, the citizens hoped it was over. Karen, however, was suspicious. She was a perceptive girl, and something about the absence of activity bothered her. She was watching something on TV with her brother when she suddenly huffed. “Kenny, can I ask you something?”  
  
Kenny, who had been sitting with his eyes closed and thinking over everything, grunted and opened one eye to look at her. She was sitting up and looking determined. “What’s up, kare-bear?” He asked, yawning slightly.  
  
“Why aren’t the police doing anything about the missing people?” She was completely serious. If they had been anywhere else, Kenny would have been asking the same question, but the truth of the matter was, they were in South Park. “Six people have gone missing, two were found dead. Shouldn’t they like…” She shifted. “…I dunno, increase security? Or actually be looking for the killer? Why aren’t they doing anything?”  
  
He sighed, reaching out and ruffling her hair. “Oh sweet, innocent Karen,” he cooed, making her make an indignant sound. “That’s because they’re incompetent assholes who only really get involved in things that make them truly look bad.” Which was rare, they rarely ever got involved in anything. He was surprised to even see reports on the news.  
  
Karen huffed, puffing her cheeks out. “But it’s supposed to be their job to protect us, isn’t it?”  
  
“If we were anywhere but South Park, sure,” he agreed, stretching as he got up from the couch. “But here in this shithole? Nah, that’d be asking for too much.” Just as he was going to leave the room, he heard the news start up. He frowned. “That’s weird…News isn’t on for another half hour…” But sure enough, the words SPECIAL REPORT flashed across the screen in big bold letters.  
  
“ _A body has been discovered in the City Wok dumpsters this morning,_ ” The reporter was saying. “ _Officials have identified the victim as a Peppermint Hippo favorite, Spontaneous Bootay, who went missing three weeks ago. This marks the third victim of the mysterious disappearances to have been found dead in the last week. Police have said that her body was in a similar state as the others that have been found so far._ ”  
  
Kenny frowned; they spoke about it so casually, like they were talking about the weather. He sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. “What has this damn town come to?” he murmured. “Next thing you know it’s gonna be someone we knew personally—“  
  
“ _We have just received word that nineteen year old Bradley Biggle has been reported missing._ ”  
  
Kenny froze. He remembered Bradley Biggle. Kid was harmless, always trying to fit in with the others. He had never done anything to line him up with the others that had been missing. No drug activity, no sexual deviance, no one even disliked him. He wasn’t popular by any means, but he was a good kid. Kenny stared at the picture of the blond young man, shocked.  
  
“-Enny?”  
  
He blinked, looking down at Karen, who was trying to get his attention. “Huh?”  
  
She frowned. “You okay…? You’re kinda pale…”  
  
“…Yeah…sorry, I just…” He let out a small laugh. “I remember him. Me and the guys…w-we played superhero’s with him when we were kids…” It had been easy to separate himself when he didn’t know the victims personally. While he never really hung out with Bradley on his own, he remembered the guy, and that was enough. He took a shaky breath. “I gotta go talk to the guys…You stay here, okay?”

* * *

“Doesn’t it bother you that people are vanishing without a trace?” Kenny asked, slinging his arm over the back of the Denny’s booth. He had gotten Stan and Kyle to meet him there for som sort of reconissense or something. And so far, they didn’t seem to be buying what Kenny was saying. “And there are bodies popping up around town?”  
  
“I mean, kinda?” Stan murmured, tracing his finger around the rim of his glass of water. He was slouched as low as he could manage. “But it’s mostly been people that are from the underbelly of South Park.”  
  
“He’s right, Kenny,” Kyle added, looking up from his textbook. “It’s been strippers, drug dealers, things like that. No one anyone would miss.”  
  
Kenny gave them both an incredulous look. “Mr. Garrison?” He pointed out. “I mean I know he was an asshole…And Bradley Biggle was just reported missing.”  
  
Stan made a face. “Again, no one anyone cares about.”He shifted in his seat. “I mean, Bradley was a nice guy but he was…kinda weird and no one was really friends with him.”  
  
“His _family_ cares, guys!” His yelling startled to two, as well as a few other patrons in the diner. “I’m sure Henrietta cares, even if she did get embarrassed by him. I know you’re still kinda friends with them, Stan.” His comment made Stan squirm a little; he had kept in touch with the Goth kids all these years, and they still accepted him even after “going back to being a conformist”. He paused, looking between them. “What if it was Ike? Or Shelly?”  
  
Kyle’s eyes flicked from Kenny, to Stan, to Kenny again. “…I can’t decide if that was a threat or an example…”  
  
For a second, Kenny was offended. “An example, asshole,” he growled. “I’m just saying, if it was one of them, you’d be worried. So you could show a little class.”  
  
“What are we supposed to do?” Kyle snapped. “It’s not like we can go out there and find him. All we can do, is wait and hope he comes back alive and not like the others.”  
  
“Why can’t we?” The blond asked, leaning forward on the table. “The police won’t do a search party, why can’t we? He was our classmate, guys…”  
  
“Because what if we get taken?” Stan finally asks. “What if while we’re out looking for him, something happens to us? It’s self preservation at this point, Kenny. We’re scared too, even if we don’t show it. Just…drop it, okay?”  
  
Kenny was quiet, before sighing and getting up. “Fine. Whatever. I’m gonna go.” He dug a few bucks out of his pocket and tossed it on the table, before walking out. As he headed down the street, Kenny had to admit, he was noticing a lot more police presence now that Bradley was missing.

* * *

Over the course of the next 24 hours, a memorial of sorts was made outside the church for Bradley. It had started with a photo and some notes from his family, and quickly blossomed with flowers, well wishes, and stuffed animals and nerdy things Bradley would have liked. It was…bittersweet. When Kenny had seen it in passing, he had already decided to stop by that night. Covered by the dead of night and his vigilante outfit, he returned to the spot, only to be slightly shocked by the one who already stood there.  
  
Standing in front of the memorial was none other than his nemesis, Professor Chaos. Admittedly, Mysterion hadn’t seen him in years, but the villain was still recognizable. Just like Mysterion, he had had some upgrades. His helmet was no longer made of tinfoil, but some other kind of metal, much more sturdy. His old tinfoil gloves were replaced with fingerless, almost leather-like gloves, and his cape was the same familiar cloth Mysterion had always known. Slowly, Mysterion came to stand beside him, on his left side; he makes notice of the patch the covers the professor’s eye. He lets out a heavy sigh as he looks at the memorial. “…Chaos.”  
  
Professor Chaos barely turns his head, just enough to see Mysterion out of his good eye, before looking back at the memorial. “Mysterion,” he replies, sounding less than surprised. “I expected you would show up here sooner or later. You always were the type.”  
  
Mysterion scowled. “The type?” he repeated. “And what does that mean?”  
  
Professor Chaos shrugged a little, eye trained on the memorial. “Big hearted, worried about the weak. That type.”  
  
“Tch.” Mysterion turned to Professor Chaos, grabbing him by the front of his cape and turning him harshly. “Don’t pretend you know a damn thing about me, Chaos.” His tone only succeeded in making his nemesis grin devilishly. “Why are you here?! Looking over your work? Gloating? I know you’re behind this, somehow. There’s no one else in this God forsaken town as diabolical as you.”  
  
The smile on the professor’s face quickly faded into a glare. “And why would I be behind this, Mysterion? Hmm?”  
  
“You’re the only one who could be!” Mysterion shook him slightly. “You are the only thing that makes sense!”  
  
“You have no proof! You don’t even have reason to suspect other than your jaded beliefs!” Professor Chaos jerked himself from Mysterion’s hold. “When have I ever shown a history of this behavior? Not to mention, I’ve never killed anyone! When have I shown this type of aggression?!” There was a heavy silence between the two. “…It isn’t me, Mysterion. It never was.” He adjusted his cape around his shoulders. “I may be a villain, but I’ve never hurt no one…not intentionally…”  
  
Mysterion was quiet, before heaving a heavy sigh. “Yeah…” he admitted. “You never were the type…You always preferred to cause inconveniences over hurting anyone…”  
  
“Of course,” Professor Chaos hummed, looking proud of himself. “What’s life without a little bit of _chaos_?” The little catchphrase made Mysterion roll his eyes, making the professor laugh.  
  
Mysterion was silent as he looked at the memorial, sighing heavily. “…Don’t think this changes anything, Chaos.” He murmured. “You’re still high on my suspect list.”  
  
Professor Chaos hummed softly, rocking on his heels in an eerily similar way to his alter ego. “…Well,” he mused aloud. “I guess I’ll just have to prove you wrong, won’t I?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is part of the LLF Comment Project, which was created to improve communication between readers and authors. This author invites and appreciates feedback, including:
> 
> Feedback
> 
>   * Short comments
>   * Long comments
>   * Questions (But I will not answer if it’s a spoiler)
>   * Constructive criticism
>   * “<3” as extra kudos
> 

> 
> LLF Comment Builder
> 
>  
> 
> This author replies to comments.
> 
> If you don’t want a reply, for any reason (sometimes I feel shy when I’m reading and not up to starting a conversation, for example), feel free to sign your comment with “whisper” and I will appreciate it but not respond!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More bullshit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello my lovelies! Got more art for you from my wonderful friend fishu! He helped bring Mysterion’s new outfit to life, and has also done Professor Chaos! Please check out his tumblr, fishu-fishu! In any case, here’s the next chapter!

Over the course of the next couple days, three more bodies had been discovered in South Park, identified as Mr. Garrison, Skeeter, and…some random name Kenny had never really heard before. He was worried, if he was honest, and that worry only intensified the more concern Karen expressed. If she was scared, it was his duty to protect her. It was his job as her older brother, and as Mysterion, her guardian angel. He spent most of his free time trying to tie the loose ends, only to come up empty. It was aggravating at best. Still, the whole thing made Karen anxious, and Kenny had turned into a hawk, constantly hovering over her.  
   
As he was going over some notes from his last discussion with Chaos, he heard Karen shuffling by the door. He glanced up; she was dressed in a cute little sweater with a star on it, holding the strap of her purse across her chest. She was pouting at him a bit. Kenny blinked slowly; had he forgotten something? “What’s up, Karen? Why the long face?”  
   
The younger McCormick bounced on the balls of her feet, biting at some skin on her lip. “I…really wanna go to the mall. Tricia and Ike were gonna meet up and I wanted to go…” She averted her eyes a bit. “But I’m kinda scared to go alone, and I don’t wanna be a bother so…”  
   
Kenny stared at her. “I wouldn’t want you to go alone anyway, Kare…It’s too dangerous for you to go out there alone.” He grunted as he forced himself off the couch. “I can take you.”  
   
Karen’s face lit up. “Really???”  
   
He chuckled, going to grab his boots. “Of course. What kind of big brother would I be if I didn’t indulge my little sister?” He grinned widely. “A pretty lousy one!”  
   
Karen giggled loudly, covering her mouth. She had recently painted her nails dark purple and green; she said it was her guardian angel’s colors. Kenny couldn’t help but feel his heart swell with pride at the sight of them. “You’re not a lousy brother, Ken,” she told him, swaying on her heels. “You’re the best big brother I could ever ask for.”  
   
“Better than your guardian angel?” He teased, grabbing his keys from the kitchen table.  
   
That made Karen pause in thought. “That’s different, I think,” she mused. “You make me happy, and remind me there is still good in this crazy world. And I know you’ll always be there, no matter what. But Mysterion….” She looked a little embarrassed, glancing at the floor. “He makes me feel safe…with him around, I know I’ll be okay, because he won’t let anything happen to me. He never has. He’s always kept me safe when you weren’t there to. So…it’s different.”  
   
Kenny smiled softly, feeling a small sense of pride at her words. At least he was doing something right by her. “Well,” he finally said, swallowing thickly. “Good thing Mysterion is around then.” He rubbed at his nose with a sniff. “C’mon, let’s get you to the mall.”

* * *

Once Karen was safely with her friends, Kenny found himself in the food court just sitting around. He didn’t have any extra cash—he gave it all to Karen. But that was okay, he didn’t mind just lazing back while he waited for her. He closed his eyes as he tilted his head back, relaxing and ignoring the mindless droning of voices around him.  
   
He did jump, however, when he suddenly felt weight and what felt like a paper bag on his face. He opened his eyes, only to be greeted by a bag of McDonalds provided by Stan and Kyle. “You guys shouldn’t sneak up on people,” he chided, looking in the bag and digging out some fries as the two sat with him. “Bad form.”  
   
“Well, it’s you,” Kyle replied with a teasing grin. “We’ll take our chances.” The three chatted for a while about various topics, but it somehow still ended up on the events going on in South Park. Kyle was commenting on how he thought it was weird that the bodies are scattered, but their deaths were identical. “If the method is the same,” he murmured. “Why are the police having a hard time with it?”  
   
Stan and Kenny both gave Kyle an incredulous look. “You’re joking, right?” Stan grumbled. “This is _South Park_. Our police force is a joke…”  
   
“I did notice leaving Denny’s the other day that they’re actually starting to patrol now,” Kenny murmured.  
   
“The police are finally starting to do something,” Kyle hummed. “Maybe we don’t need to worry anymore?”  
   
“Do you really think they’re going to do anything other than make the situation worse?” Kenny asked seriously, taking a huge bite out of the burger that was in the bag.  
   
The red head sighed heavily. “Well..probably not. But at least their doing something?”  
   
Kenny let out an annoyed growl. “The only reason they’re attempting to do anything is because people are starting to get upset. Two complete innocents have gone missing, and one is dead; the townspeople are starting to get up in arms. Of course they’re going to try and make it look like they’re doing something.” When neither Kyle nor Stan responded, he stared blankly at them. “You can’t be serious….”  
   
Stan gave a half shrug. “Well….their reason and motive may not be the most morally sound…” He rubbed his arm awkwardly. “…but like Kyle said, at least they’re doing _something_ …”  
   
Kenny scowled, jaw clenched. He stood up abruptly. “I guess I really am alone in this.” Except he wasn’t, he had one ally but he chose not to acknowledge that at the moment.  
   
Kyle stared up at him as he stood, brows furrowing in concern. “Dude…don’t tell me you were serious about putting a stop to this on your own?”  
   
“What would you have me do, Kyle?” Kenny asked, exasperated. “You know as well as I do the South Park police force is about as useful as Cartman’s dick.”  
   
“Didn’t need that mental image,” Stan mumbled, a look of disgust on his face. He had been about to continue when Kyle’s phone went off.  
   
Kyle checked his phone and slowly stood up. “We gotta go.” When Stan raised a brow, he explained. “That was ma. She wants us to come back to the house.” He looked from Stan to Kenny. “…Bradley’s body was found.”  
   
Kenny felt his blood run cold, and in an instant he was off running the direction he had last seen Karen go. He darted from store to store, occasionally asking the clerks if they had seen her, only to come up empty. He was frantic as he ended up back at the food court, tugging at his hair slightly as he racked his brain. Where could she have gone?! She wasn’t to leave the mall, and he knew she wouldn’t have wandered on her own. He almost jumped when he spotted Tricia, Craig and Tweek. “Tucker!”  
   
The two Tucker siblings turned when they were called. Craig’s eyes narrowed, while Tweek put a hand on his boyfriend’s arm to ease him. “What do you want, McCormick?” The older Tucker grumbled.  
   
Kenny was quickly at their sides, looking at Tricia in particular. “You were with Karen, yeah?” When she nodded, he continued. “I can’t find her, where did you last see her?” He couldn’t hide the urgency in his voice.  
   
Craig bristled a little, tightening his grip on Tricia just slightly. “We just—nngh—saw her over at the fountain,” Tweek answered, biting at his lip. “We asked Tricia to—gah!—meet us there and Karen was with her.”  
   
“The fountain,” Kenny repeated. “Okay, okay, thank you so much…!” He darted off back toward the main courtyard of the mall, where he knew the big fountain was. He had to find her, he couldn’t handle it if she went missing too…! As he rounded the corner, he was relieved to see Karen…with Butters. The two were sitting on the edge of the fountain, Karen giggling. “Karen!”  
   
The girl looked up with a smile. “Oh hi Ken!” She squeaked as he suddenly hugged her. Figuring she had scared him, she hugged him in return, rubbing his back. “I’m okay. I just ran into Butters and he said I shouldn’t be by myself.”  
   
“And Butters is very very right,” Kenny whispered, slowly pulling away and cupping Karen’s face gently. “Don’t you _ever_ scare me like that again, okay?” When she nodded, he sighed and looked to Butters. “…Thanks for staying with her, Butters.”  
   
Butters smiled, that quirky little smile that always seemed a little too high on his face, but was just so Butters. “Sure thing, Kenny!” He chirped. “Nobody should be alone, especially not the young ones. I figured, if she was here, you wouldn’t be far.”  
   
Kenny nodded, taking a deep breath as he willed his heart to ease. “…Butters…”  
   
“Hmm?”  
   
Kenny tugged him over, whispering so only Butters could hear. “… _we need to meet tonight._ ”  
 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is part of the LLF Comment Project, which was created to improve communication between readers and authors. This author invites and appreciates feedback, including:
> 
> Feedback
> 
>   * Short comments
>   * Long comments
>   * Questions (But I will not answer if it’s a spoiler)
>   * Constructive criticism
>   * “<3” as extra kudos
> 

> 
> LLF Comment Builder
> 
>  
> 
> This author replies to comments.
> 
> If you don’t want a reply, for any reason (sometimes I feel shy when I’m reading and not up to starting a conversation, for example), feel free to sign your comment with “whisper” and I will appreciate it but not respond!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mysterion and Professor Chaos talk about the case

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are again with this mess. We got a lot of heavy information this chapter so hold on to your butts, guys. There is going to be details about a dead body this chapter, so if that makes you uncomfortable, you have been warned and can skim when it gets to that point.

If someone had told Mysterion nearly ten years ago that he would be working side by side with his arch nemesis, Professor Chaos, he probably would have threatened them. And yet, here he stood on the roof of Tweek Bros coffee, waiting for Chaos to show up. It was nearly one in the morning, the time they had agreed to meet to discuss details about Bradley’s death. Chaos had said something about having extra info when he arrived, and Mysterion hated to admit he was curious.  
  
The scuff of boots announced the professor’s arrival, making Mysterion exhale heavily through his nose. “I almost thought you weren’t going to show, Chaos.”  
  
“I had to make a stop,” he explained, coming from behind Mysterion to stand beside him. His arms were folded behind his back, under his cape. A gentle breeze ruffled both capes. “Believe me Mysterion,” he murmured, gazing over the sleeping town. “This was well worth the wait.”  
  
The vigilante grunted in annoyance. “You said something about more information. What have you discovered about who could have done this?”  
  
Chaos held up a single finger. “That’s where it gets interesting, Mysterion.” There was a slight hint of Butters showing through in his excitement, though he kept it back, keeping his excitement down. “I don’t think we’re dealing with a _who_ , more like a _what_.”  
  
That made Mysterion turn to him, brows furrowed in confusion. “Excuse me?”  
  
“A what,” Chaos repeated, turning as well. “You see, the wounds sustained by each of the victims doing make sense. They aren’t sliced like you would expect. It’s like they were just….ripped open….It’s strange and doesn’t add up.”  
  
Mysterion scowled even more. “….you sure know a lot, Chaos. That was information that the police _neglected_ to inform the public about….Something only the _suspect_ would say—”  
  
“Oh shut up,” Chaos snapped. “I broke into the morgue and looked at Bradley’s body then confirmed the reports of the other bodies.” He then looked a little smug, winking. “You’re not the only one who knows how to pick a lock, Mysterion…”  
  
There was a long stare from Mysterion, as he slowly registered what was being said. “………oh.” He cleared his throat, getting a grip on himself; that wink had been unexpected. So was the butterflies that had erupted in his stomach. “So, then, you got information, now what?”  
  
Chaos hummed. “Well…would you like to see it for yourself, Mysterion?”  
  
Honestly, no, Mysterion did not want to see a dead body. Especially not one of someone he had once known as a child. His lips pressed into a thin line as he thought about it. “…While I would rather not spend my night looking at a corpse, I feel it is pertinent to the investigation.” There was a pause as his brows furrowed. “Chaos, why are you helping me?”  
  
“Because,” he began, a small smile coming to his face. “Like it or not, South Park is my home, too. And no one is going to cause a little chaos but me.” He paused, nodding resolutely, before heading back toward the ladder. “Come, Mysterion. The morgue awaits.”

* * *

Never had Mysterion wanted to high tail it out of a situation. But a morgue was definitely one of those places he hated. He had died enough times, seen his body get taken there to be prepared for burial. It was almost surreal to be there alive. True to his word, Chaos had got them in easily, picking the locks with an almost practiced ease; he made a mental note to ask about that later.  
  
Having been there not so long ago, Chaos was able to lead Mysterion right to Bradley, pulling the large freezer door open and pulling the sheet covered body out. They both stood in silence, Chaos carefully moving the sheet from Bradley’s face. Mysterion visibly stiffened; it was eerie, not seeing his own face. He took a breath, steeling his nerves. “Alright…what can you tell me?”  
  
Chaos nodded. “So, according to the coroner report, cause of death was suffocation. However…” He pointed to Bradley’s pale neck. “Nothing. No marks, not from hands or a rope.”  
  
“Something shoved in his mouth and throat?” Mysterion suggested, only for Chaos to shake his head. “Wait, really?”  
  
“They did a scope and everything; being dead, his muscles wouldn’t contract. Nothing in his esophagus or lungs.”  
  
Mysterion scowled. “That…how does one suffocate when there’s nothing to block your airway?”  
  
“I would tell you if I knew,” Professor Chaos murmured.  
  
“And what about the stomach and intestines?” Mysterion asked. “Post-mortem?”  
  
The professor held a hand up. “That’s where it gets interesting. Based on the estimated time of death and the copious amount of blood, the victim’s heart was still beating frantically, causing blood to flow.”  
  
The vigilante looked disturbed. “So, he was suffocated and disemboweled _at the same time_?”  
  
“That’s the only way to explain it…” Taking a breath, Professor Chaos pulled the sheet down to Bradley’s hips. Mysterion couldn’t help the sharp intake of breath, covering his mouth. Having been disemboweled before, he knew what to expect, but seeing it on another person was shocking. He had to swallow thickly and pull himself together. Chaos waited for Mysterion to calm himself before he spoke. “If you look…they tried to stitch him together but…”  
  
“There’s no clean lines….” Mysterion scowled. “And his intestines?”  
  
“According to the report, they’re in one piece.”  
  
Mysterion made a small noise in the back of his throat, gloved hand tracing over one of the few stitches the morgue had attempted. “It almost looks like…a wild animal got to him.” He glanced at Chaos. “Where was he found again?”  
  
“Behind City Wok.” Chaos replied simply. “Mr. Kim found him when he went to take the trash out I guess…”  
  
“That just doesn’t add up…” Mysterion stroked his chin in thought. “The only wild animals are outside of South Park…and the animals wouldn’t have just deposited him…So what—”  
  
The two stiffened as they heard movement. “Shoot…!” Chaos whispered, throwing the sheet back over Bradley’s corpse and pushing him back into the freezer, slamming it shut. “Someone’s here, we need to go!”

* * *

“Well, good to see the Chaos lair has updated just like you,” Mysterion grumbled as he walked into the storage unit at the U-Stor-It that Professor Chaos had commandeered for his headquarters many years ago. It wasn’t cluttered like back then, however. It was organized, clean, easy to walk in. “I see we’ve matured.”  
  
Chaos rolled his eyes. “Ha. Ha. Ha. Let me find a real laugh for you.” A pause. “…nope, can’t do it.” He walked over to a little hamster cage, the hamster coming to greet him. “Hey little guy!”  
  
“You still have that?” Mysterion chuckled, looking around. He had to admit, the Chaos Lair was pretty high tech for being in an old storage unit.  
  
“I have to have a minion, ya know,” Chaos hummed, taking the rodent out of it’s cage. He then nodded his head toward the back wall, and a giant corkboard. “I have to show you something.”  
  
Mysterion stared up at the corkboard. There was a map of South Park pinned to it. But that wasn’t what caught Mysterion’s attention. Tacked to the map were the pictures of the deceased. Each tack was set at the location the bodies were found. The whiteboard beside it had all sorts of information scrawled on it: The names of the missing, the date the were reported missing, the date their body was found and the approximate time of death. Scrawled beside the list was another, labeled “Common factors”. The list had already been short, with the only common factors being that the victim was a South Park Native, used drugs, drank, and was promiscuous. But by the looks of it, Chaos had recently crossed out everything but the “South Park Native” factor. He let out a low whistle of slight amazement. “Looks like someone has been doing his research.”  
  
“Goodness knows _someone_ has to…” Chaos replied as he went to put his minion away. “I may be your enemy, Mysterion, but even I don’t want something like this to happen.” He frowned a little. “Sure, it causes chaos, but it does more than that. It hurts people. And I never wanted anyone to get hurt.”  
  
Mysterion was quiet, before he very hesitantly put his hand on Chaos’ shoulder. When Chaos turned to look at him, he nodded. “…Let’s get to work, then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is part of the LLF Comment Project, which was created to improve communication between readers and authors. This author invites and appreciates feedback, including:
> 
> Feedback
> 
>   * Short comments
>   * Long comments
>   * Questions (But I will not answer if it’s a spoiler)
>   * Constructive criticism
>   * “<3” as extra kudos
> 

> 
> LLF Comment Builder
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> 
> This author replies to comments.
> 
> If you don’t want a reply, for any reason (sometimes I feel shy when I’m reading and not up to starting a conversation, for example), feel free to sign your comment with “whisper” and I will appreciate it but not respond!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Butters and Kenny bond

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is kind of a filler to get the ball rolling on their relationship, but it’s also setting things up for future chapters. So things will be rather chill and fluffy this chapter.

After spending a good chunk of the night talking about the situation, the two eventually had to part ways and get some semblance of sleep, but agreed to meet again soon. And for some reason Kenny couldn’t fathom, he was excited and even _nervous_ to meet up with Butters again, even after agreeing to it via text messages. They had never really hung out just the two of them, if you didn’t count the meeting as Mysterion and Professor Chaos. And it wasn’t like they were just going to have fun, it was a meeting about the case. Yeah. That was it…  
  
Regardless, when Kenny got to the Village Inn, he found himself _ecstatic_ to see Butters already there. When the smaller blond noticed Kenny, he waved, making Kenny’s heart flutter happily. He joined Butters easily, slipping in the booth across from him. “Hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long,” he told the smaller man.  
  
Butters shook his head. “Not long at all, Kenny! I was just thinkin’ what to get for lunch. Didja want anythin’?”  
  
Kenny gave Butters a small smile. “Save your money, I’m fine.” As if on cue, Kenny’s stomach growled. He hadn’t eaten since dinner the night before, which had been a can of corn. He groaned a little, hands on his stomach and making Butters laugh. “Okay, maybe I am hungry….”  
  
Butters slid the menu over. “Pick something out. I got lots of money from saving my allowance.”  
  
“You still get allowance?”  
  
Butters shuffled. “Well, no, but I’ve saved it up over the years, ‘n I got a lot, so I can afford to treat my friend to lunch.”  
  
God, how was someone as sweet as Butters even real? He smiled faintly, looking over the menu like Butters had instructed. “One of these days I’ll treat you, Butters. Mark my words.”  
  
He giggled, making Kenny’s heart soar. “Sure, I’ll hold you to that, Ken.” It wasn’t long before the waitress came to get their orders, and once she had, they got to work talking about the case in hushed voices. There had been no new leads, and things had gone oddly quiet. Kenny and Butters both agreed this was far from over. They fell quiet as their food arrived, enjoying their time together. The conversation somehow turned to something pleasant.

“So,” Kenny began. “If you could do anything with your allowance, what would it be?”

Butters blinked, poking at his food. “Oh, gosh, I dunno. Like, what would I buy?”

“Buy, whatever. Would you go somewhere? Buy something? What would you do if you could?”

Butters hummed, eyes flicking to the ceiling in thought, fork tapping the plate. “Probably travel the world,” he admitted. “I like traveling. It would be nice to see places without the hecktic chaos that comes with being friends with Stan and the others, ya know?”

“Boy do I ever…”

Butters hummed. “What would you do with that kinda money, Ken?”

“Me?” Kenny smiled a bit. “Mine isn’t nearly as glamorous. I’d move out of my parents place, and get Karen out of there.” He almost had enough money saved up to do just that, but he wasn’t quite there yet.

Butters gave a soft smile. “Moving out sounds nice too,” he admitted. “Not having to worry about mom and dad…that sounds real nice. I love them, ya know, but I don’t wanna stay under their roof forever.”  
  
“Yeah.” Kenny smiled fondly as he thought about the young man in front of him. Butters had always been such a good guy, even when treated terribly. Despite everything, he still had a heart of gold. Kenny loved that about him. “Ya know,” he began softly. “We should do this more often.”  
  
Butters glanced up, a mouthful of French Toast puffing his cheeks out. He hummed curiously. “What?” He managed to mumble, covering his mouth with one hand.  
  
Kenny had to try not to laugh. Why was Butters so damn cute? “This. Just…hanging out together. Without the others. Just you and me.” Yeah, that sounded really nice, now that Kenny thought about it.  
  
Butters slowly raised a brow, swallowing his mouthful of food. “Kenny McCormick, are you asking me out on a date?”  
  
Kenny stared. He wasn’t, was he? It did sound that way. And it wasn’t like Kenny was particularly straight. “No! Of course not! Well, I mean, unless you want to, then yeah totally? That’s totally what I meant to do?” _Smooth_.  
  
That made Butters raise his brows further, setting down his fork and tapping the table. “Gosh, Ken, I thought you were straight. What with you liking boobies so much and all.”  
  
“Well, not exactly?” He rubbed at his neck, trying to think of how to get himself out of this mess. “I mean, tits are great—girls are great. But I like guys too. Well, sometimes, it really depends, but like…I like a person for who they are, not what parts they have. I mean, sure their parts change some things but—“  
  
“Kenny.” Butters was trying not to laugh at Kenny’s rambling. “It’s fine, okay? I get it. You’re Pansexual, then, right?”  
  
Kenny blinked slowly, vaguely remembering Kyle telling him about the term. He wasn’t as in tune to all the LGBT+ labels as Kyle was. But from what he remembered, it fit him pretty well. “Yeah…yeah I guess so.” When Butters seemed satisfied and about to go back to eating, Kenny pressed. “Well, what about you? You can’t ask me about my sexuality and not expect me to ask yours. It’s only fair, Butters.”  
  
Butters paused, a faint blush coming to his cheeks. “Uh, well…I’ve never really been attracted to girls. I mean, they’re pretty, and cute, but that’s about as far as it goes for me….”  
  
“So you’re gay?” Kenny blurted out.  
  
“Well…” Butters rubbed his knuckles together anxiously. “I think so? I mean, gee, I haven’t dated anyone at all, but I tend to gravitate to guys, so I guess I am?” He looked at Kenny hurriedly. “B-but, you can’t say nothin’. If my dad found out, he’d be real sore at me.”  
  
Kenny waved his hands, trying to placate him. “Easy, Butters. I wouldn’t go blabbing that stuff.” Especially not if it got the soft boy in trouble. Kenny couldn’t do that to him. “That’s for you to be public about when you’re ready. Not me.”  
  
Butters exhaled a breath he had been holding, a small smile coming to his face. “Thanks, Ken. That makes me feel all kinds of better.”  
  
Kenny opened his mouth to say something, only to pause as their cellphones went off in exact unison. They had both signed up for local news alerts to keep up to date on anything going on in South Park. They both grabbed their phones to read the alert. “Former South Park Sheriff Barbrady reported missing.” They glanced up at each other, nodding before Butters flagged down the waitress for the check. Once taken care of, they both headed out, ready to go their separate ways to collect information. But Butters paused, turning to look at the fellow blond. He bit his lip before blurting out, “Hey, Ken?”  
  
Kenny glanced back at him, clearly confused. “Yeah?”  
  
He shuffled a bit, a faint blush on his cheeks and a smile on his lips. “…I’d like to do this again sometime.” That being said, Butters adjusted his hold on his bag and left.  
  
Kenny stood in place for a long moment, before a huge grin tugged at his lips. He had a date with Butters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is part of the LLF Comment Project, which was created to improve communication between readers and authors. This author invites and appreciates feedback, including:
> 
> Feedback
> 
>   * Short comments
>   * Long comments
>   * Questions (But I will not answer if it’s a spoiler)
>   * Constructive criticism
>   * “<3” as extra kudos
> 

> 
> LLF Comment Builder
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> This author replies to comments.
> 
> If you don’t want a reply, for any reason (sometimes I feel shy when I’m reading and not up to starting a conversation, for example), feel free to sign your comment with “whisper” and I will appreciate it but not respond!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Interesting details about thee case pop up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter was a fluff fest, but it’s back into the thick of it. Don’t worry, there will be more of those in the future! While this one has a few heavy themes, it’s not nearly as bad as my other fic. Well…for now

With the disappearance of former Sheriff Barbrady, suddenly the South Park police force seemed to take the situation a lot more seriously. There was increased police activity in the town, as well as a mandated curfew of 8pm. Most residents seemed to find this acceptable and were strict about it. Well, most of them.

Kenny never adhered to the curfew, either because of work or because of his work as Mysterion. Not that the police could stop him even if they wanted to. He was the vigilante of South Park, after all. Butters adhered unless he had business as Chaos, and even then it was difficult. Butters couldn’t get out as easily as Kenny could. There were others, however, who despised the curfew.

Kenny, Kyle and Stan were walking down Main Street from Tweak Bros, coffees in hand; Kenny had chosen to miss out on the coffee and went for a hot chocolate instead, knowing what went into the coffee. As the three passed a bundle of cops, Kyle made a sound of distaste. “Do they really think a curfew is going to stop anything?”

Kenny paused mid sip, frowning. “What do you mean?” He asked. “Curfew seems like a pretty sound idea…”

Stan shook his head. “I heard from Michael that Bradley was last seen at home before he went missing,” he mumbled, keeping his voice low. “Henrietta said he was in his room. And just… _poof_. Gone. No open window, no notes, no struggle. Just gone.”

“Exactly,” Kyle replied matter-of-factly. “What good is a curfew if people are going missing from inside their homes?”

Kenny stared for a long moment. Yet another piece of the puzzle that just didn’t make sense. Instead of solving anything, they were finding there to be more pieces missing then before with each piece they found. He sighed heavily, running a hand over his face. “Jesus Christ…”

“What’s wrong, Kenny?” Stan asked, looking a little concerned at their exasperated friend.

“Nothing,” he sighed. “Just seems like, this just gets more and more complicated the longer it goes on.”

Kyle lowered his voice. “Even if our police force was competent, ma says that This isn’t gonna be solved.”

“The last time it wasn’t either…”

Stan and Kyle stared at Kenny. “This has happened before…?” Stan asked slowly, his hand subconsciously going to Kyle’s.

Kenny paused, before nodding. “Yeah. About 20 years ago. It wasn’t nearly this bad though.”

“And the guy wasn’t found last time either?” Kyle asked, frowning.

“Nope, and there was a survivor. But they got admitted to a mental institution after the ordeal and were unable to give any information.”

Kyle swore. “So there’s literally nothing to go off?” When Kenny shook his head, Kyle sighed heavily. “…You’ve got your hands full, don’t you?”

“Mmmhmn.”

“Well, good luck with that,” Stan mumbled, tugging Kyle’s hand when they were set to part ways. “My gut says you’re gonna need it.”

Kenny rolled his eyes. “Yeah yeah…talk to you guys later.” As Kyle and Stan walked one way, Kenny walked the other, pulling out his phone and calling Butters. It took a few rings for the other to answer, and before he could even greet Kenny, the more rugged of the two spoke, voice low. “I have new information.”

There was a pause, before Butters got just as serious. “You’ve been busy then.”

“Not exactly,” Kenny mumbled. “But Stan told me something interesting. We need to meet tonight.”

“You know the way to the Chaos Lair,” Butters replied seriously. “Meet me there at 9 tonight. We can talk there. I might be a little late; you know how my parents are.”

Kenny hummed in acknowledgement. “Yup, no problem. Will I be able to get inside?”

“It should be open just enough for you to get in. Just wiggle yourself in.”

“Got it. See you then.”

* * *

Mysterion wasn’t at the Chaos Lair for very long when Professor Chaos showed up. They were both a little behind, between Butters’ parents and Kenny dealing with Karen and Kevin. Still, they had both made it, and that was what was important. There was an awkward moment where they went to get close to each other, only to stare and back away. They had to keep their lives separate. “So,” Chaos began, clearing his throat. “You said Stan gave you some interesting information?”

“Oh, right.” Mysterion shook his head quickly to bring himself back to why they were here. “So, you know that Stan is still friends with the Goth kids, right?”

Chaos shrugged. “I’ve heard rumors. I suppose it’s true then?”

Mysterion nodded. “In any case, Henrietta Biggle was Bradley’s sister. She told Michael, who told Stan. Apparently, Bradley was in his room when he disappeared.”

Chaos raised a brow. “So the kidnapper must have got in through the window.”

Mysterion shook his head, holding up a finger. “It gets better. According to Michael, There were no signs of struggle, the window hadn’t been opened or broken. No traces of anything ever happening.”

The Professor scowled, glancing a way and tucking his chin into his hand in thought. “How _bizarre_ …” He waved his hand. “Let’s recount the facts. What do we have?”

“Well, as you’ve pointed out, everyone who has gone missing has been a South Park native,” Mysterion began, going to the white board and flipping it over. Grabbing the marker, he started making a list of what they knew. The marker squeaked softly as he wrote. “People are going missing, without a trace. No fingerprints, no traces of any sort. The victims are later found dead; their stomachs are ripped open, in such a way that it looks like they were attacked by a wild animal of sorts, and intestines are strewn about.”

“So far,” Chaos mumbled, taking the pen from Mysterion. “We’ve had 8 people go missing, 7 have turned up dead. How many victims were there last time?”

“11 in 6 months,” Mysterion replied, looking at the notes on his phone. “We’ve already had 8 in about 2 months.” He gave a bitter sort of laugh. “It’s like…whatever is going on, they need it to happen quicker, as if they don’t want us to figure it out before the time comes…”

“Time?” Chaos mumbled, looking at the vigilante. “For what?”

Staring at their list, Mysterion shook his head. “I don’t know…but there’s more to this.” He fell quiet for a moment, before growling slightly. “There’s still too many pieces missing. There are no fingerprints, no tangible evidence. It’s like…”

“…Like the suspect isn’t someone you can touch. Or rather…something.” Chaos took a breath. “If it’s not a some _one_ , we can’t turn them in. But if it’s a some _thing_ , we can still find it and put a stop to it, right?”

“In theory,” Mysterion replied. “As long as it’s tangible. If not, there’s no telling.”

“Well…” Chaos mumbled. “In the end…all clues point toward the impossible…” He looked at Mysterion. “We’re dealing with something inhuman.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is part of the LLF Comment Project, which was created to improve communication between readers and authors. This author invites and appreciates feedback, including:
> 
> Feedback
> 
>   * Short comments
>   * Long comments
>   * Questions (But I will not answer if it’s a spoiler)
>   * Constructive criticism
>   * “<3” as extra kudos
> 

> 
> LLF Comment Builder
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> This author replies to comments.
> 
> If you don’t want a reply, for any reason (sometimes I feel shy when I’m reading and not up to starting a conversation, for example), feel free to sign your comment with “whisper” and I will appreciate it but not respond!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> BUNNY DDATE BUNNY DATE BUNNY DATE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have some cuteness, ya filthy animals. :3

In the days that followed, there was silence over the town of South Park. And while it didn’t ease the fears of the people, it did give Kenny and Butters a chance to go on their first official date. Kenny had been on many dates in his years, but for the first time, he was truly nervous about it. Over text, he and Butters agreed to meet for a game of laser tag around 4 in the afternoon. And as Kenny waited in a white T shirt and jeans, he was practically vibrating with excitement.

“ _Ken_!”

Kenny glanced up at his name, grinning when he saw Butters in his usual light blue sweater. He turned to face his date, who was holding a small backpack. “Hey Butters. Glad you could get away.” He nodded to the bag. “Whatcha got there?”

Butters hummed, shifting awkwardly. “Actually Ken, I was wonderin’, if you minded if I changed clothes in the bathroom real quick? I had somethin’ specific I wanted to wear, but I couldn’t put it on at home, or dad would be real mad…”

Kenny blinked, before he gave a soft sympathetic smile. He remembered the whole Marjorine thing from elementary school; he had talked with Butters a few times about it, and they shared a love for girls clothing on an occasion. “Yeah sure,” Kenny hummed, opening the door for the arcade for Butters. “You go change. I’ll be waiting by the DDR machines.”

Butters smiled as he stepped in. “Thanks for understandin’ Ken…I’ll be right there.” With that, Butters scampered off to the bathrooms.

Kenny chuckled, going off to the DDR machines. He wondered briefly as he watched the players on the machines just how far Butters was going to go this time. Was it the whole Majorine getup, or just something cute and girly? Either would be fine, in Kenny’s opinion. He liked the idea of either one.

“Ken?”

After a few minutes, Kenny turned at his name being called for the second time in 15 minutes. He stared, feeling his heart skip a beat as he inhaled slowly. Butters had traded his blue sweater for a cute blue peasant blouse, and his jeans for a simple white skirt and black leggings. His tennis shoes where replaced with cute white sandals. Kenny slowly exhaled. “ _Wow_ …” he whispered.

Butters shuffled awkwardly with his bag, brushing off his skirt. His cheeks were dusted pink, a shy smile on his lips. “Uh…does it look okay, Ken?”

Kenny shook his head to get out of his daze, smiling. “Yeah! I mean, wow, Butters, you look great!” And he meant every word. He closed the distance between them, grabbing Butters’ hand. “Let’s get to the arena before the next game starts!” He pulled Butters along to the laser tag area, managing to get them signed up just in time. Fittingly, Butters was assigned to the blue team, and Kenny was assigned to the red team. As they got fitted, they both resolved to hunt each other down, the competitive streak of Chaos and Mysterion rearing its head.

They entered the playing field at the sound of a buzzer. Kenny was quick to notice a second level to the structure. Perfect. He ran up a ramp; if he could get a good view, he could hit Butters repeatedly from just the right vantage point. Unfortunately for Kenny, Butters had spotted his red glowing vest from a distance, and instantly stuck to the wall. He scooted along the wall until he was essentially under Kenny. As Kenny surveyed the area, Butters took careful aim and…

_Whoop whoop!_ Kenny’s vest vibrated against his chest, making him swear. As he looked around he heard a very familiar cackle from below, seeing Butters scamper off into the darkness of the course. “Oh it’s _on_ now!” He yelled. He had to wait 10 seconds before he could shoot, so Kenny found a ramp and ran down to the lower level, determined to find Butters and get him back. He ran the direction he had seen his date run off in, only to find himself at a fork in the path. He hummed, glancing down both directions, before settling on the right path and starting to run.

Kenny almost didn’t see the little crevice Butters was hiding in, but managed to fire at the same time Butters did. But Kenny had been faster this time, making Butters squeak as his vest vibrated and lights flashed. “Aw hamburgers!” He whined as Kenny ran off, laughing. But Butters wasted no time in following Kenny as quick as he could; he would use the 10 second pause to his advantage, running up a ramp that Kenny passed and keeping his eyes locked on his target. The moment the 10 seconds were up, he fired again, and Kenny could be heard yelling “Fuck!”

This went on for 15 minutes, a constant banter of shots back and forth. When they met back up outside the arena, Butters was pleased to see he had won by 3 points. He jumped up and down excitedly, arms in the air as he cheered. It was so simple, so innocent, and Kenny loved it. He couldn’t help but laugh when his date hugged him tightly. “Come on, let’s go get some pizza from the concession stand downstairs,” Kenny suggested. He had scrounged up his savings to take Butters out on this date, and dammit he was going to make the most of it.

“That sounds good,” Butters admitted, letting Kenny go, a faint blush on his cheeks. The blush only seemed to darken when Kenny took his hand and lead the way. The two lovesick teenagers headed down to the concessions, getting two slices of pizza(One pepperoni and the other cheese) and drinks before taking a seat across from each other at a small booth. The pieces of pizza were huge, larger than their hands. Kenny’s first instinct was to fold it in half, making Butters laugh.

A few minutes into their food, Kenny spoke, covering his mouth with his napkin. “So, I was thinking,” he mumbled. “After this we can either play some of the arcade games, or we can do mini golf.” He paused. “Or I can take you home, if you want.”

Butters quickly swallowed his bite of food, wiping his mouth with a napkin as he made a small sound. “No no! That sounds like fun, Ken!” He smiled, dipping his cheese pizza into a cup of ranch dressing. “I think I’d prefer the arcade. I’ve never been too good at mini golf, if I’m honest.”

Kenny chuckled. “Arcade it is.” He checked his wallet, satisfied with what he had left.

Once they had finished, they drifted between the games, playing occasionally. It was during this time that Kenny learned that Butters had a habit of sticking his tongue out when he concentrated hard enough; he found it utterly adorable and distracting. They passed the time playing random games—Butters was surprisingly good at DDR—before Kenny noticed it was starting to get dark. “I should probably get you home soon,” Kenny mumbled as they started to walk back toward the entrance.

“Probably,” Butters mumbled, though it was obvious he didn’t want to. “Let me go change, so dad doesn’t see me like this. I’ll meet you outside?”

Kenny nodded, walking off to wait for Butters. He took a deep breath of the crisp evening air. Curfew would be coming soon, and even though they were so deep into the case, he feared something would happen to Butters. Even if the curfew had no effect on people going missing, it was still mandated and Kenny didn’t want Butters getting into trouble.

“Why couldn’t trash like you disappear?”

Kenny looked up to see Sergeant Yates staring at him, a look of displeasure on his face. “Excuse me?” Kenny muttered.

“You heard me, McCormick,” the sergeant spat. “All the original victims all had a rap sheet, and you have one hell of a rap sheet.” Kenny scowled as Sergeant Yates started listing off Kenny’s history. “Vandalism, Filing a False police report, Assault, Breaking and entering, arson, underage drug use, _prostitution_ , just to name a few.” Yates smirked at the way Kenny seemed to shrink back at the accusations. “Someone with a rap sheet like yours should have been taken, not these innocents. Not someone like Barbrady.”

“No one should be taken,” Kenny argued. “Regardless of their history, no one deserves to be kidnapped and murdered—“

“It should have been you, McCormick! You and that train wreck of a family of yours!”

“You sonuva—!”

“Ken, stop!” Butters, who had just walked out to this, grabbed Kenny’s arm before he could swing at Sergeant Yates. He tugged Kenny’s arm back, which the other blond allowed. He grabbed hold of Kenny’s slightly trembling hand and tugged him away, letting Kenny flip the officer off as they walked away.

They walked in silence for a long time. “You should have let me deck him,” Kenny grumbled.

“And add assaulting an officer to your record?” Butters asked, looking less than impressed. “I’d rather not end this night with my date in handcuffs.”

“He insulted my entire family,” Kenny hissed. “My mom and dad I can understand. Dad’s an abusive drunk and mom is doped up most of the time. And Kevin is just like dad. But Karen is an innocent, and he pulled her into it too.” He clenched his hands into fists, though they loosened when Butters worked Kenny’s hand open and laced their fingers together.

“I know,” Butters murmured. “But punching Sergeant Yates would only prove his point, Ken…” Before they knew it, they were walking the shores of Stark’s pond, hand in hand. Kenny relaxed a bit as they paused at the water’s edge. “…ya know,” Butters began. “When the disappearances began, when I noticed that the people that were missing were all morally bad for some reason or another, I kind of hoped my dad would be taken too…” He glanced up at Kenny, eyes sad. “Does that make me a bad person?”

Kenny was quiet for a long moment, before he let out a breathy laugh. “Nah. I don’t think it does. You just want to be free from him…”

Butters nodded, watching the reflection of the moon on the water’s surface. “I had hoped, after I turned 18, that it would stop. The controlling behavior, the verbal abuse…I thought maybe, when I was adult, he would respect me more and I could leave.” He let go of Kenny’s hand, rubbing his knuckles together anxiously. “But, obviously, that didn’t happen. I’m 19, almost 20, and it hasn’t happened.” He let out a weak giggle. “I’m scared it never will. It drives me crazy…” His hands came up, tangling in his hair a bit. “I hate him so much, I hate him for what he’s done to me; what he keeps doing…”

Kenny shooshed Butters gently, prying those hands from his hair with care. “You will, Butters. You’ll get out of there. It will just take time…you just got a job at the coffee shop, yeah?”

“Uh-huh…”

“Save your money, then we can pull our savings together and get the hell out of here…” He smiled as Butters looked up at him. “You, Karen and I. We’ll get out of this crazy ass town together.” He grinned widely. “Whatta ya say, Buttercup?”

Butters giggled a little at the nickname. But slowly, he nodded. “Yeah, we’ll get out of here.” He pressed their foreheads together, smiling softly. “I think I’d like that…”

Kenny grinned, giving a brief nuzzle before they continued walking. Kenny swung their arms, making Butters laugh. But the joy the two felt would dissipate quickly as they came across an all to familiar pair of sunglasses. Butters picked them up. “Those were Barbrady’s,” Kenny mumbled. He glanced up. “Officer Barbrady? Are you here?”

“Ken, look.” It was a trail, like something had been dragged toward the bushes. Before Kenny could stop him, Butters was already running to the bushes. He let out a startled gasp, stumbling back with his hands over his mouth and eyes wider than they had ever been in his life.

Strewn across the grass and other plantlife was the blood and intestines of former Officer Barbrady. His eyes were wide, mouth open in a silent scream. Just like the others, his stomach had been ripped open. It had been one thing to see it in the morgue, but fresh like this? They couldn’t fathom it. “K-Ken, we gotta call someone,” Butters stammered, stepping back into the other blond. He glanced over when Kenny didn’t answer.

Blue eyes were locked on the sight before him, lips slightly parted as he breathed quickly. His brain had seemingly short circuited. Kenny wasn’t there, but elsewhere in a strange out of body experience. He couldn’t really be seeing this, right? No, this had to be some sort of crazy nightmare, he couldn’t have just stumbled on a murder scene.

Seeing Kenny was no help, Butters scrambled for his phone, dialing 911. “Yes, hello? We found Officer Barbrady! ….no, he’s dead!”


End file.
